Swim shoe and swim fin assembly



y' L' 70 -v. M. GA-N v' v 3,521,312

SWIM SHOE AND SWIM FIN ASSEMBLY Filed Nov. 5, 1968 4 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS July 21, 1970 v. M. GANEV SWIM SHOE AND SWIM FIN ASSEMBLY- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 5, 1968 ATTORNEYS United States Patent Office 3,521,312 Patented July 21, 1970 3,521,312 SWIM SHOE AND SWIM FIN ASSEMBLY Vitan M. Ganev, Calle Labra 159, Santurce, Puerto Rico 00915 Filed Nov. 5, 1968, Ser. No. 773,486 Int. Cl. A63b 31/10 US. Cl. 9-309 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE There is provided a molded shoe that has a swim fin attached to its bottom so as to extend normal to the bottom of the shoe. This is particularly useful for breast stroke swimmers wherein there if a frog-like kick movement of the legs and more propelling force is afforded. A molded swim shoe is also provided with a transversely extending slotway at its blunt front end and a slotway lengthwise of its bottom. Within these slotways is selectively and slidably received a rib on an end of a swim fin so as to position the swim fin at the front of the shoe generally in line with the bottom of the shoe for up and down leg kick movement or in an attitude normal to the bottom of the shoe for breast stroke leg kick movement. Suitable retractable catch or holding members are provided on the shoe at the slotways to hold the fin in its slotway and to permit its removal.

An object of the invention is to provide shoe and swim fin assemblies for use of breast stroke swimmers.

Another object of the invention is to provide swim shoe and swim fin assemblies wherein the swim fin may be selectively mounted at the front of the shoe for normal up and down leg kick or normal to the bottom of the shoe for breast stroke leg kick movement.

In the drawings, the figures are briefly described thus- 1y:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a swim shoe adapted for front or bottom swim fin mounting;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view along line 22 of FIG. 1 showing a slotway at the bottom of the shoe;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view along line 3-3 of FIG. 1 showing a further portion of the slotway that is T-shaped;

FIG. 4 is a sectional viewalong line 4-4 of FIG. 1 showing the inside of the toe of the shoe;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan View of the shoe in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a swim fin with a rib at one end for selective mounting in the slotways of the shoe in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of the swim fin as viewed from the right of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a rear elevational view of the swim shoe and swim fin assembled on the bottom as would appear when viewed at the left of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the swim shoe with swim fin assembled to extend forward from the front end of the shoe;

FIG. 10 is a side elevation of the swim shoe with swim fin assembled to extend normal to the bottom of the swim shoe;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmental sectional view of the bottom portion of the shoe at the entrance of the slotway showing a movable integral abutment for holding the swim fin in the slotway;

FIG. 12 is a modified form showing a swim shoe with an integrally mounted swim fin extending normal to the bottom for breast stroke swimmers;

FIG. 13 is a rear elevational view of the swim shoe and swim fin assembly as viewed from the left of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the swim fin in FIG. 12 as viewed along line 1414 of FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is a top plan view of the swim shoe in FIG. 12; and

FIG. 16 is a sectional view along line 1616 of FIG. 12.

Throughout the description like reference numbers refer'to similar parts.

A molded swim shoe of rubber or suitable composition is generally indicated at 10 in FIGS. 1 and 5. The shoe is formed with a blunt nose 11 extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of the shoe. Integrally formed at the front end 11 is a slotway 12 of T-shape cross section. A slidable catch generally indicated at 13 has a sleeve 1311. within which a slide member 13b slides. The bottom of the shoe 10 has a slotway 14 which in FIG. 2 is U-shaped open at the bottom and in FIG. 3 at 14a further up along the shoe bottom is T-shape in cross section. The slotways at 14 and 14a are shown in the bottom plan view of the swim shoe in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5 adjacent the slotway 14 there is formed in the shoe bottom an integral movable abutment generally indicated at 15.

This movable abutment 15 is shown enlarged in FIG. 11 in a holding position. When the movable member 1511 is pushed into the void or cavity 15b, it clears the slotway and permits removal of the swim fin as will be described.

A detachable swim fin is generally indicated at 16 in FIGS. 6 and 7. The swim fin 16 has at one end a T-shaped in cross section rib 17 that is selectively slidably received in the slotways 12 and 14 as shown respectively in FIGS. 9 and 10.

The swim fin 16 has side ribs 18 and 19 projecting in a divergent manner from the rib end 17. These ribs taper in cross section to a point at their outer ends and extend in a concave opposed manner as shown in each of the FIGS. 6, 9 and 10. The intermediate portion or central planar portion indicated at 20 of the fin between the projecting side ribs 18 and 19 is stepped with-steps decreasing widthwise as indicated at 20a from the outer end where the edge is ocncave at 21. The cross section of the stepped portions 20a increase in thickness from the outer step 22 to the inner step 23.

A modified form that the swim shoe and swim fin assembly may take is shown in FIGS. 12-16. This is similar to the swim shoe assembly for breast stroke swimmers as shown in FIG. 10.

The swim shoe and swim fin assembly 25 shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 is an integral structure. The shoe position 26 may have integrally formed or molded therewith a swim fin 27.

The swim fin portion 27 has an end 27a that is thicker in cross section and joins with the bottom of the shoe so as to provide rigidity. The swim fin 27 tapers to a point towards its outer end as shown best in FIGS. 13 and 16. As in the swim fin in FIGS. 6-10, there are side ribs 28 and 29 and stepped portions 30. The outer edge is concave at 31.

The swim shoe and swim fin assembly here depicted is very useful and efficient.

I claim as my invention:

1. A shoe and swim fin assembly comprising in combination,

a shoe having a transversely extending swim fin securing means at its front end and a longitudinal swim fin securing means extending lengthwise at its bottom,

a swim fin having an attachment end with a fin portion extending therefrom and attachment means at said attachment end for selective receipt by said swim fin securing means at the front end and bottom of said shoe.

2. A shoe and swim fin assembly according to claim 1 wherein said swim fin has a pair of spaced apart and diverging from each other side members extending from said shoe bottom and lying in a plane and a planar central web integral with the side members and extending therebetween in said plan'e, each of said side members tapering from a wider portion at their attachment to the bottom to a point at their outer ends.

3. A shoe and swim fin assembly according to claim 2 wherein the planar central web is stepped shape on its planar faces with the steps decreasing lengthwise from outer end to inner end adjacent the shoe bottom and of increasing cross sectional thickness from outer end to inner end adjacent the shoe bottom.

4. A shoe and swim fin assembly according to claim wherein the swim fin securing means at the front and bottom of said shoe and said attachment means at said attachment end of the swim fin are cooperating slot and rib means for sliding cooperation.

5. A shoe and swim fin assembly according to claim 4 including securing means on the shoe for holding said swim fin in selected attached position on said shoe.

6. A shoe and swim fin assembly according to claim 5 wherein the securing means on the shoe is a movable abutment attached to the shoe that in retracted position permits insertion and removal of said rib from said slot and in extended position protrudes across said slotway preventing removal of said rib from the slot.

7. A shoe and swim fin assembly according to claim 1 wherein the swim fin securing means at the front and bottom of said shoe are slots having a portion of the length thereof T-shaped in cross section and wherein said attachment means at said attachment end of the swim fin is a cooperating rib of T-shape cross section slidably received in said slots.

8. A shoe and swim fin assembly according to claim 7 including securing means on the shoe adjacent the slots for holding said swim fin in selected attached position on said shoe.

9. A shoe and swim fin assembly according to claim 8 wherein the securing means on the shoe is a movable abutment attached to the shoe that in retracted position permits insertion and removal of said rib from said slot and in extended position protrudes across said slotway preventing removal of said rib from the slot.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 496,105 4/1893 Adelmann 9309 1,590,484 6/1926 Volker 9-304 3,178,738 4/1965 La Trell 9-309 FERGUS S. MIDDLETON, Primary Examiner J. E. PITTENGER, Assistant Examiner 

